Went to stay with MIL and FIL when the DC were small like 3yo and 6mo!

When MIL showed us to our bedroom we gave us towels. A bath sheet for DH 1 (yes 1) hand towel for me and the DC to share.

I didnt say anything at the time as a little taken back. When bathtime came around DH just helped himself to more towels from the airing cupboard for all of us but it ended up in an almighty row and a lecture about the cost of laundering towels in winter!!!

We have not stayed since.

Another previous time (just me and DH and DD1 aged 8 weeks) we were invited for Xmas. As we lived 400 miles away it involved a few nights stay and then we went to stay with other family. Anyway we spent Xmas day there, had a lovely Xmas dinner and tea. Had taken wine, chocolates, Xmas pudding and a xmas cake. Stayed a few nights. Helped wash up, tidy etc. 3 weeks later we received an bill in the post for the cost of our stay . I am really struggling to recall if we actually paid it!! I know DH called them to see if it was a joke but they were dealy serious! On reflection - I think we may have just posted a cheque off to them! The reason we were so taken back is that they would come and stay with us for 10 days to 3 weeks at a time (we lived in a touristy place back then) a few times a year. We never charged them a penny! Sadly we moved house before they came to stay again because I wanted to charge them B&B rates!

Years ago some friends bought a new living room suite, very pale cream leather sofa and chairs. Their two DC's were about 9mo and 18mo at the time. I remember thinking it was an odd choice. The suite came with a warning to not let anyone with dark clothing that 'might transfer' sit on the new furniture, 'i.e. new indigo-dyed jeans'.

We knew them for about five years. We were NEVER allowed to sit on the sofa in jeans, even ancient stonewashed jeans. Good job I preferred to sit on the floor with DD! I babysat in the evening for her a couple of times, and each time when I turned up she would point out the large bathtowel that she had kindly placed on the sofa for me to sit on.

I was invited to stay at a friends house who lived with his parents, the family owned a large dog. I was put in the spare room for the night, but it was clear from the smell and the copious quantities of hairs that it was usually the dogs bed - and the sheets were not changed! URGH!!! I really didn't want to sleep there but the floor was no better - suffice to say I had a rubbish nights sleep as I was about as un-relaxed as you can get.

The next day at dinner the same dog (who was big enough to get his head well over the table) stole food off my fork on its way to my mouth - slobber on my fork and everything, this was very funny and a clean fork was not forth-coming. I wasn't hungry. Still friends though!!!!

Staying with the PILs, they live miles away so it is always an overnighter, I had a shower and was in our bedroom getting dried etc when the MIL (who knew full well I was just out of the shower) marched in, no knock on the door at all, and when I said 'can you give me a minute I'm not decent' she just said 'it doesn't matter' while she brazenly looked me up and down!!! She didn't have anything she wanted to say - she just had a good look and left again!!! She is not a nice lady by anyones standards for sooooo many other reasons than this.

Donkey agree!!! unfortunately their place was a looooong way from home and I was basically trapped. It was no fun having to fend off an animal while eating, a begging dog at the table isn't great at the best of times but when it is tall enough to clear your plate for you and this isn't considered weird it's a whole other ball game!

I went for lunch with some people I know slightly the other day and they were odd. The husband started off by telling me he had googled me before I arrived and started to harangue me about an issue I had worked on years ago. This was not a good start. Anyhoo, we went to the kitchen table to have lunch, and they pulled the parrot's stand over, lowered it until it was the same level as the table and served the parrot salad onto a plate on the table. The bloody thing stank to high heaven as well, as its stand was covered in parrot poo. I suppose I should be grateful that the dog wasn't invited to join us too.

This thread is brilliant! I wonder if there's a parallel one somewhere along the lines of "what's the oddest thing a guest in your house has done": sample posts include "not joined in the after dinner sex"; "wanted to eat lunch in the middle of the day"; "wanted an exorbitant amount of towels and an actual shower in the morning".....

Mine is quite minor really - went to visit some friends when back in the UK, took a DVD for DS to watch so that we could chat in peace after dinner, but they both said "oo! we haven't seen that!" so we all had to sit and watch it.

Complete waste of a visit - by the time the film was over, we had to go - so barely chatted to them at all!

A had a friend (notice the past tense) who had a DD the same age as my DS. I didn't know her very well so when she invited us around for dinner I didn't know what to expect.Our DC's were about 4.She served the food (jacket potato cheese and beans) and we were all sat at the table. Fortunately my DS was a fairly good eater and managed to eat most of his meal. When he said 'I've finished' to me she screamed at him 'FINISH YOUR FOOD!' she then completely flipped at both children, was practically foaming at the mouth, banging on the table and shrieking 'YOU ARE TRYING TO TAKE ME FOR AN IDIOT - CHILDREN MUST EAT ALL THEIR FOOD!!!!' and then 'YOU WILL NEVER BEAT ME I WILL MAKE YOU FINISH YOUR FOOD EVEN IF WE SIT HERE ALL NIGHT!'Her DD at this stage started sobbing and gagging on her food. My DS was just looking back and forth from me and her. I then made an excuse and left quickly. I would have loved to have taken her DD with me We never spoke again.The sad part - she's a primary school teacher